drenredfoxhttps://drenredfox.wordpress.com
My feeble attempt at a crafty, as natural as possible, DIY lifestyle…Mon, 10 Apr 2017 05:23:09 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngdrenredfoxhttps://drenredfox.wordpress.com
Chaos in the Universe…https://drenredfox.wordpress.com/2015/12/21/chaos-in-the-universe/
https://drenredfox.wordpress.com/2015/12/21/chaos-in-the-universe/#respondMon, 21 Dec 2015 14:00:00 +0000http://drenredfox.wordpress.com/?p=611Continue reading →]]>Miss Universe that is… Have you heard this?! On Sunday, December 20, 2015, Fox television was airing the Miss Universe pageant, hosted by Steve Harvey. Normally Mr. Harvey is one of my most liked individuals, but I don’t know whether to cry for him or just shake my head at his HUGE fumble! While reading the results of the runner up and winner, he confused the two.

The real winner was Miss Philippines, Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach (@piawurtzbach), who took her place gracefully off to the side as the runner up, Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez Arevalo (@gutierrezary), accepted her crown, took her walk and was basking in the light of her new reign. Even though apologizing profusely for his mistake, the host could not make up for the embarrassment that Miss Colombia must have been feeling, not to mention how uncomfortable it must have been for Miss Philippines to basically come down and snatch the crown off of somebody’s head in order to celebrate her win.

Drinking my coffee this morning a news story came on the television about how prescription pain killers are becoming something to watch as far as cause of death in the United States. That got me to thinking, do they kill more than alcohol? Cigarettes? Personally, the pain left from prescription drug abuse has had immediate effects in my life. I have lost numerous friends to prescription pain pill overdose. I have lost a relationship or two to the over-use of them. I have had to attend countless classes in rehabilitation facilities where I was visiting someone close to me. It is more an everyday fact that we once thought it was…

The pharmaceutical companies push the doctors, that push the patients, that end up getting hooked. In my own experience with pain pills, it was damn near impossible to get my pain specialist to take me off of the ridiculous amounts of drugs he tried to put me on. His office was located in Southfield, MI and the wait was almost two hours each time you went in, with the waiting area packed full of people. I once spoke to him about the fact that it was starting to feel like what I would assume a drug house feels like. People sitting outside waiting for their “friend” to get out of the office to take them to the pharmacy to pick up the script which they would then sell. Patients going off on the receptionist, not because of the wait, but because of who was waiting for them… I have chronic pain, but he had me on 90 mgs of Morphine first thing in the morning and up to three Oxycontin a day!! I would have been a zombie! They made me so sick that I couldn’t stomach them anyway, causing more pain than help. An old roommate once told me that I could get up to $700 “on the street” for ONE of my prescriptions a month. Later we lost her to a prescription overdose…I am in much more pain these days, but I am not on any regular pain medication, controlling as much as I can with Bikram yoga and the things I choose to eat/not eat.

In 2013, of the 43,982 drug overdose deaths in the United States, 22,767 (51.8%) were related to pharmaceuticals.8

Of the 22,767 deaths relating to pharmaceutical overdose in 2013, 16,235 (71.3%) involved opioid analgesics (also called opioid pain relievers or prescription painkillers), and 6,973 (30.6%) involved benzodiazepines.8 (Some deaths include more than one type of drug.)

I started smoking when I was 13 and have had the hardest time quitting completely over the years. According to the CDC, “Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States.” and “Harms nearly every organ of the body.” Even though old enough to know that it’s absolutely insane to even light one up after those statements, there is a comfort that comes when completely stressed out and you finish that first cigarette. That being said, One needs to have more control than that. Causing ” more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States,” the numbers cannot be argued with.

Not only did I start smoking at a young age, but being the rebel that I was, I also started drinking about the age of 15. Over the years it definitely was the cause of an issue or two, but it wasn’t until the FM kicked in, and after two children, till my body decided I could no longer drink like I use to. I don’t mind this at all, usually only having a couple of drinks every so often. I’d rather have one good glass of cognac than play with alcohol like I use to. Sticking with getting today’s information from the CDC, they say…

“Excessive alcohol use is a leading cause of preventable death. This dangerous behavior accounted for approximately 88,000 deaths per year from 2006–2010, and accounted for 1 in 10 deaths among working-age adults aged 20–64 years.”

I guess that it is hard to determine what One should consider the deadliest of drugs. I think that the most important thing is that we pay attention to what we are putting in our bodies and how we choose to handle the stresses of our lives. The more we are in touch with ourselves and purifying these beautiful temples of skin we were given, the better off we will be.

]]>https://drenredfox.wordpress.com/2015/01/22/deadliest-of-drugs/feed/0drenredfoxAsparagus Swiss Mini Quichehttps://drenredfox.wordpress.com/2015/01/19/asparagus-swiss-mini-quiche/
https://drenredfox.wordpress.com/2015/01/19/asparagus-swiss-mini-quiche/#respondMon, 19 Jan 2015 19:21:53 +0000http://drenredfox.wordpress.com/?p=604Continue reading →]]>Today must be the day of quiche as I have come across yet another recipe! These are for mini quiche and look so darn cute. I think that I might add more Bikram classes just to that I can continue to crave all this food! Still think that I am going to try the spinach and mushroom one first, just for the simple fact that it has feta in it! I am a sucker for some feta…

Should you want to try these asparagus swiss mini quiche though, please go here and don’t forget to come back and tell us how it went!

]]>https://drenredfox.wordpress.com/2015/01/19/asparagus-swiss-mini-quiche/feed/0drenredfoxAsparagus & Swiss Mini QuicheScorpions and Quichehttps://drenredfox.wordpress.com/2015/01/19/scorpions-and-quiche/
https://drenredfox.wordpress.com/2015/01/19/scorpions-and-quiche/#respondMon, 19 Jan 2015 16:31:49 +0000http://drenredfox.wordpress.com/?p=590Continue reading →]]>So, as some may know, one of my favorite men is in Thailand on vacation with a couple of good buddies. Currently they are resting up in Chiang Mai. The other day I found myself grocery shopping and he’s sending me a text and photos of them eating scorpions in Bangkok. Here I am at Meijer, trying to figure out what to get my kids for lunch that day and he’s experiencing something cool in a faraway land, I wasn’t jealous at all. Beautiful photos of street vendors, a shrimp as large as his hand, breakfast in Bangkok, statues, neighborhood dogs…He found me a monk’s bowl and a fine silk scarf. He has the best taste and his gifts are always incredibly meaningful. That being said, again today I have had to focus on that which tests the limits of my jealousy. I love self-actualization, but damn does it hurt like a bitch!

So here I sit trying to decide what to cook for us that will take my mind off of the fabulousness of his vacation. It’s a balmy 30 degrees here in Michigan right now I think! A big plus about having to stay at his place is that he has MY oven. Yes mine, I MUST own one. The Cuisinart Combo Steam and Convection Oven, it is a miracle worker packed into a futuristic looking package. As soon as I have the “extra” cash, we will be making a purchase, leftovers will never go to waste again with this beautiful machine! I could go on for days about this gorgeous piece of machinery, but let’s just say that I can cook WHATEVER I would like and have it come out looking professional at least. So I can across this recipe and thought that I might try it. Take THAT Thailand!! lol No, I will not be bitter…

]]>https://drenredfox.wordpress.com/2015/01/19/scorpions-and-quiche/feed/0drenredfoxreceived_607122449418401.jpgreceived_607644272699552.jpgVendor in Bangkokreceived_607513559379290.jpgreceived_607647429365903.jpgSpinach Mushroom Feta Crustless Quiche is the best breakfast or dinner without all the guilt!Bacteria Warlordshttps://drenredfox.wordpress.com/2015/01/17/bacteria-warlords/
https://drenredfox.wordpress.com/2015/01/17/bacteria-warlords/#respondSat, 17 Jan 2015 16:50:55 +0000http://drenredfox.wordpress.com/?p=581Continue reading →]]>It has been almost a year since my surgeries and the fear of future infections has not subsided. Of course I didn’t help myself out in the least this morning, as I got pulled into a documentary on FrontlinePBS about Hunting Nightmare Bacteria. My nightmare began as a bartholin abcess from a marsupialization that did not take. While on vacation, or on the way back from Nashville, I contracted some sort of bacteria that made it’s home in the cyst. In the beginning they believed that it was some form of Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA. They quickly learned that it was an unknown (at least to them) strain of Necrotizing fasciitis, that was quickly eating away at my flesh from the inside out and that it was resistant to the incredible amounts of high-dosed antibiotics that they were giving me. They still don’t know exactly what exact strain my body was harboring, ending up having to cut out the dying flesh and do skin grafts, taking skin from the front of my left thigh. All in all I had four surgeries in eight days, spent over two weeks in the hospital at the University of Michigan, spent three weeks total in a bed not being able to walk and am still healing.

Finished packing after 3rd surgery.

Skin graft from left front thigh…

We must educate ourselves on these super-bugs, as they are getting stronger and stronger. I am one of the lucky ones, they were able to catch mine and save my life. What scares me most is that there are strains out there becoming unstoppable, soon our antibiotics will work no longer…

If you would like to watch my recovery journey, I would love for you to visit me on my youtube channel here!

I have been doing some serious slacking as of late pertaining to my healing process. Got a hold of a small miracle the other day and was actually able to stay in a gorgeous room at Motor City Casino Hotel in Detroit, MI. During my stay I took the opportunity to pull some video to update all your curious minds. I hope you find it “educational!”

]]>https://drenredfox.wordpress.com/2014/05/06/update-from-motorcity/feed/0drenredfoxEmbrace the Quirkhttps://drenredfox.wordpress.com/2014/04/08/embrace-the-quirk/
https://drenredfox.wordpress.com/2014/04/08/embrace-the-quirk/#respondTue, 08 Apr 2014 14:13:18 +0000http://drenredfox.wordpress.com/?p=565Continue reading →]]>Have I mentioned that I LOVE my quirky nerdiness and REALLY don’t mind that all in all I have been single for what seems like forever. My universe has been handed to me in such ways that I have been tested to my very core. I have had to face MANY things that most never have to face, and I am grateful for each and every painful one of them. The tables have turned. I have learned enough from my life lessons that now those in my life who I respected and look up to most, those who SEEM to have themselves together, are finally looking to me for strength. Those friends with fancy houses and incredibly high paying jobs, are jealous of the strength I have when faced with adversity. They are starting to realize that, even with the chaos of things that have happened to me, that I am more solid in who I am with each passing day. My “quirks” are now badges I wear, each representing something new I have learned about myself, each one building me stronger. I am me, no matter what is taken from me. I thrive being my WHOLE self. Could you say the same of yourself if your material possessions were stripped from you? If a surgery left you “changed” somehow? Are you able to celebrate who YOU are at your core? Be thankful for your quirks my friends, human robots are incredibly shallow and boring…]]>https://drenredfox.wordpress.com/2014/04/08/embrace-the-quirk/feed/0drenredfoxDriving and My Egohttps://drenredfox.wordpress.com/2014/04/05/driving-and-my-ego/
https://drenredfox.wordpress.com/2014/04/05/driving-and-my-ego/#respondSat, 05 Apr 2014 13:18:31 +0000http://drenredfox.wordpress.com/?p=562]]>The ego is a very funny thing. I have been fighting my ego in a terrible way since these surgeries, but at least I’m driving again! Check out this video and see how I am handling… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K90bPXtqp6o]]>https://drenredfox.wordpress.com/2014/04/05/driving-and-my-ego/feed/0drenredfoxLife Lessons and Proteinhttps://drenredfox.wordpress.com/2014/03/23/life-lessons-and-protein/
https://drenredfox.wordpress.com/2014/03/23/life-lessons-and-protein/#respondSun, 23 Mar 2014 15:52:26 +0000http://drenredfox.wordpress.com/?p=576Continue reading →]]>

The healing process can really get to a person. Let me tell you, after being trapped in a bed for three weeks, one can start to feel as if they are going to crawl out of their skin. I have been doing my best to be the most well-behaved patient ever, but it is becoming harder with each new day…

]]>https://drenredfox.wordpress.com/2014/03/23/life-lessons-and-protein/feed/0drenredfoxToo much information…https://drenredfox.wordpress.com/2014/03/17/too-much-information/
https://drenredfox.wordpress.com/2014/03/17/too-much-information/#respondMon, 17 Mar 2014 15:12:00 +0000http://drenredfox.wordpress.com/?p=558Continue reading →]]>When leaving the hospital, I told them that I didn’t have anyone that could physically care for me in an emergency at home. That was tested and proven last night…Watch this video to find out just how humbled I had to be… https://youtu.be/tenoV1CwT38]]>https://drenredfox.wordpress.com/2014/03/17/too-much-information/feed/0drenredfox